I was going to replace the trucks entirely (and have on some); but I still have over 60 cars to upgrade. Can anyone suggest replacement wheels which would fit in the stock trucks. They're horsey lookin' compared to athearn trucks, but budgetary concerns and all....
Thx-
Mike Sayre
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Google NWSL [ northwest shortline] and check their catalog for wheels made for the atlas Trucks. You'll have to drill the journal hole to fit the axles.
Ed R
I looked them up right after my post; send email to Dave and got a swift response. They are probably a little too pricey for my blood, even figuring a 20-30% discount (if that were even available).
MS
Sell the entire trucks off on eBay, get what you can, and use that to finance replacing as many as you can afford then with better trucks & good wheelsets. Buy a few replacements thereafter as you can to get the rest on the rails.
Trying to shortcut this is a great way to waste a lot of time, generate a good amount of frustration, and end up at an endpoint where you still need to just replace everything anyway.
mwb-
I think I agree
MS
Those trucks are not worth anything on EBay or anywhere else - - unless you find one of the ones that P. T. Barnum said was born every day.
I have been successfull at putting Athearn wheel sets in them. I do have to bevel the jounal holes a little but not much. Weaver wheelsets also work. I am talking about the delrin wheels on steel axles.
Whatever axles you buy, you are talking about 5-10 bucks a set for car unless you can find junquers.
If you have some Athearns try them and see what you can do.
I too have successfully used Athearn wheel sets in the 70s atlas truck frames. I found
my Athearn wheel sets off Da Bay about a year ago for around $35.00 for 100 axles.
You pop them out of the frame, chuck the stub axle in your electric drill, and using a new sharp file, trim them.
I much prefer steel wheels, and have all kinds of machinery for carving my own, but these old cars are only worth a small amount of effort.
You pop them out of the frame, chuck the stub axle in your electric drill, and using a new sharp file, trim them.
I much prefer steel wheels, and have all kinds of machinery for carving my own, but these old cars are only worth a small amount of effort.
Sure you can do all that and if the plastic is that soft, ever wonder what all that crud is on your rails and where it comes from and why cars don't roll nice and freely?
I also prefer steel wheels and standardized for the most part in IM wheelsets in Athearn trucks which for my purposes are generally adequate for the vast majority of cars that I own.
cn6167,
Send me an email I have a bunch of you athearn wheelsets.
Jim-
I can't figure out how to do that on this forum. I'm at msayre at ymail dot com.
Thx-
MS
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